Cross Country Chaos

by Lesli Richardson

  Wow.

  David had never made her feel like that during their entire relationship, and she’d thought David was pretty good in bed.

  Then again, she hadn’t had many partners to judge David against before they were together. One, to be exact.

  Mart wasn’t just in bed with her physically. He was there with her emotionally. David always gave her the impression his mind was elsewhere when having sex.

  Mart knew how to make love.

  He appeared in the doorway. “You’re awake.” He wheeled over and kissed her. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” She kissed him again, trying to coax him back into bed.

  He pulled away. “Want some breakfast?” She started to reply when he grinned. “I mean food.”

  “That’s scary.”

  “What?”

  “That you can tell what I’m going to say.”

  “Your sense of humor is as twisted as mine.” He brushed the hair out of her face and left his fingers on her chin. “You’re amazing.”

  She took his hand in hers. “You’re not so bad yourself, mister.”

  “Yeah, I kind of got the impression you enjoyed yourself.”

  “The claw marks on your back should heal soon.”

  They both laughed. He kissed her again. “How are the boys going to react to me being around?”

  “They’ll love it.” She sat up and reached for her robe. “I guess I do need coffee and a shower.”

  “Coffee’s ready. As for the shower—” He caught her hand and pulled her into his lap, kissed her. “Maybe we can take care of that after breakfast.”

  She put her arms around his shoulders. “I’m not too heavy, am I?”

  “The wheels didn’t go flat, so I guess not.” He laughed as she tickled him.

  He cooked her breakfast. After, they ended up in bed again. They took a shower and were dressed by ten.

  Mart pulled her to him, put his arms around her waist, and pressed his face against her stomach. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She stroked his hair. “Yeah. More than okay.”

  A lot more.

  His voice sounded slightly muffled, and she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “I know I said I’d take it slow, but will it weird you out if I tell you I’m in love with you?”

  She sat on the bed, her legs suddenly shaky. He’d said it.

  He caught her hands on the way down. “Hey, are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m okay.”

  “I hope I didn’t—”

  She pulled him to her and kissed him. After a long minute, she let him go. “I’m in love with you, too,” she said before she lost her nerve.

  “Whew! For a minute there, I was afraid I’d scared you.”

  “No, you didn’t scare me. I’m scared, but not of you.”

  “Kelly, I don’t want to pressure you. If I’m coming on too strong, tell me to back off.”

  She grabbed him again and kissed him. “Does that answer your question?”

  “You keep this up, we’ll be back in bed.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  He was going to respond when her phone rang the Addams Family theme. She sighed. “Reality calling. That’s Mom.”

  Fortunately, she held the phone away from her ear. “Mom?” Denny screamed. “Grandma wants to know if it’s safe to bring us home.”

  Kelly had told her mom she needed a child-free evening but didn’t elaborate. She knew her mom assumed she spent the evening and morning writing.

  “Sure, honey. Whenever she wants to bring you.”

  “She has to go shopping, she said she’d bring us by in a little bit.”

  “Okay, see you soon.” She turned to Mart. “The troops will invade shortly.”

  “How about I take everyone to lunch?”

  “We just finished breakfast.”

  “I was thinking about surprising the boys with something.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a surprise for you, too.”

  She had an idea it was a good surprise. “Okay.”

  “Dress warmly.”

  “What?”

  He winked. “You’ll see.”

  * * * *

  Kelly helped her mom unload the boys’ things. Mart appeared a moment later. Sharon smiled when she saw him.

  Kelly turned to her but Sharon shook her head. “Don’t say a word.” Sharon hugged her and whispered, “Don’t you dare let him get away, you hear me?”

  “Mart!” Denny flew into Mart’s arms. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  Even Paulie seemed glad to see him.

  “Hey guys, I have a surprise for you and your mom.”

  “What is it?”

  “Do you like hockey?”

  Paulie’s eyes lit up, but he tried to play it cool. “Yeah, I like it.”

  “I have tickets for the pre-season game today.”

  “Oh boy,” Denny flapped. “Mom, can we go?”

  “We’re all going.”

  Sharon looked at her watch. “I wish I could stay, but I have a lot to do today.” She hugged Kelly and the boys, then hugged Mart. Surprise registered on Mart’s face when her mom hesitated before moving away. Obviously, she’d said something. He met Kelly’s eyes and winked.

  All was well. Whatever was said, she’d have to get him alone to hear it.

  Kelly told the boys to change clothes. They were ready to leave when David’s car pulled into the drive.

  Mart sensed Kelly’s tension and moved close, touching her arm.

  “Dad!” Denny flew off the porch to greet him. David looked obviously uncomfortable and turned his attention to Paulie. Paulie didn’t leave the porch, Kelly noted.

  “How are you boys doing?” David asked Paulie.

  “What do you want?” Paulie stood with his arms crossed, glaring at David. For the first time, Kelly saw a preview of the man Paulie would become.

  “I thought I’d see if you wanted to go to the park and practice or something.”

  “We can’t. We’re going to a hockey game. Mart got us tickets.” Kelly watched Paulie step closer to Mart, whom David finally noticed.

  Even Denny pulled away from David. “Mart’s my coach.” David walked up to the porch.

  “David Alexander. The boys’ father.”

  Mart smiled and shook David’s hand.

  “Martin Rawlings.”

  David winced. Mart probably squeezed harder than David anticipated. David was a “power shaker,” using a handshake as a test of authority, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to go overboard.

  Kelly thought he’d met his match.

  Paulie broke the uncomfortable silence. “You’re not supposed to get us until next weekend.”

  David looked a little nervous. “Well, yes, that’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  “You’re going on a trip, aren’t you?” Denny asked, his face clouding.

  “Yes, I have to go out of town. I thought we could get together this weekend.”

  “You should have called first, Dad.” This was the first time Paulie ever stood up to his father.

  “It just sort of came up. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

  Denny looked like he wanted to say something. Paulie put a hand on his shoulder. “Mart is taking us to the hockey game. Denny and I want to go.”

  David looked from the boys to Kelly, who remained silent, to Mart. “Well, I thought the boys would want to spend time with me.”

  “They’re old enough to tell us what they want, David,” Kelly said.

  He cleared his throat. “I know I haven’t spent much time with you this summer.”

  Paulie’s anger spilled over. “Much? Try none, Dad.”

  “Paulie—”

  “No, Mom, I’m sick of this.” He turned on his father. “I called you from Yellowstone, and you were too busy to talk to us, you blew us off. You don’t get to spend time with us only when you want to.”

  “Now
you listen, young man, I’m your father.”

  “You sure haven’t acted like it.” Paulie ran into the house, slamming the door behind him.

  Denny, tears rolling down his face, looked at his father. “Mart was happy to see us at Yellowstone, and he’s not even my dad.” He followed Paulie into the house.

  David’s face reddened. He turned to Kelly. “I don’t know what you’ve been saying to them—”

  She held up a hand. “Stop. This is all on you. I’ve begged you to spend more time with them. They need you on their terms, not yours.”

  “I told you, it’s hard for me to do things with Denny.”

  “Maybe you aren’t trying hard enough.” Mart’s quiet voice startled Kelly and David.

  David glared. “Listen, maybe it’s easier for you to relate to him because you’re a—”

  “A what?” Mart rolled down the ramp to face him. “A what? Say it. I’m a cripple in a wheelchair. That’s what you want to say, isn’t it?”

  David dropped all pretense of politeness. “Yeah. That’s exactly it.”

  Kelly gripped the porch railing and remained silent. If Mart wanted to be in her life, she couldn’t manage his relationship with her ex-husband.

  “I’ve worked with plenty of parents who deal with their kids being in a chair,” Mart said. “Do you even know Denny’s results from Nationals?”

  “What, his little Special Olympics trip?” David sneered.

  “Dude, you are clueless. It wasn’t Special Olympics, it was wheelchair sports. Denny’s not mentally disabled, unlike you. I’m a medaled Paralympian. I went to Barcelona and Sydney and Athens and a lot of other places to compete, asshole. Denny’s good enough, maybe he’ll make it to the Olympics, too. But you don’t care about that, do you?”

  For once, David didn’t have a snappy comeback.

  Mart continued. “The kids want a father who loves them the way they are, not the way he wants them to be.”

  “What would you know about being a father?” Kelly knew David thought that was zinger.

  Mart leaned in and said something she couldn’t hear. David’s face went white, then red. Without another word, David stormed to his car and left.

  Mart didn’t move until David’s car turned the corner. Kelly noted his satisfied look as he rolled back to the porch.

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him according to you, in that department, I was at least twice the man he was.”

  “You didn’t?”

  He smirked. “Not in those exact words. I know how to hit below the belt. I’m sure the next time he and Bernice get together, he’s going to think about what I said, and how he fails to ‘measure up.’”

  “Beatrice.”

  “Whatever.”

  “What did Mom say to you earlier?”

  “She said I’d better not screw this up by acting like David.” He threw open the front door. “Come on guys. Hockey waits for no man.”

  * * * *

  “I have to stop by my place on the way,” Mart said as they buckled in. He distracted the boys by discussing sports and other boy-friendly topics. Before long, Paulie and Denny were in a good mood again.

  Mart pulled into his driveway and disappeared inside. A few minutes later, he returned wearing different clothes, with a small bag on his lap and towing a large, rolling equipment bag.

  “Want some help?” Kelly asked.

  “Nope, I’ve got it.” The back door opened. Mart grunted as he hefted the larger bag inside. Her mind involuntarily went to the night before, how strong his arms and hands were—

  No, can’t think of that now.

  But the heat built inside her.

  He was in the driver’s seat a moment later and reached out, squeezed her hand. “You okay?”

  She smiled. “I am now.”

  Paulie studied the arena parking lot when they arrived. “There’s no one here.”

  “I know. I have an extra surprise for you. The game doesn’t start until seven.”

  Kelly looked at her watch. “That’s five hours.”

  Mart grinned. “Just wait.”

  He showed the parking attendant a special pass and pulled into a high-walled compound where players normally parked next to the arena. They unloaded. Paulie took the large bag while Mart led the way through a back entrance.

  A security guard shook hands with him.

  “I have some guests today, Earl.”

  The older man nodded. “Let me get them some passes.” They waited while Earl produced special passes on lanyards. Kelly saw Paulie looked impressed while Denny nearly flapped out of his seat with excitement.

  Mart led them through back passages to a small locker room. He stuck his head inside, then waved the rest of them in. Several other men in wheelchairs were in various stages of donning hockey gear, a couple already fully suited except for gloves and helmets.

  Mart led Denny over. “Guys, this is my buddy, Denny. Denny, these guys are on my sled hockey team.” He made the introductions, including Paulie and Kelly.

  Denny flapped with joy. “You play hockey? I love hockey! How do you play in a chair? I didn’t know you could play in a chair.”

  The men laughed, and Kelly’s knees gave way. She sat on a bench and watched as Mart explained the equipment to Denny and Paulie. She brushed away her tears. In a few short months, Mart was already more of a father to the boys than their real father ever tried to be.

  Mart donned his gear while Paulie pulled the sled out of his bag. The team moved from the locker room to the corridor leading to the ice. Several arena employees and other sled hockey players and their families were already gathered.

  Mart crooked his finger at Kelly. She left the boys and walked over to him, where he made a pretense of handing her his watch for safekeeping.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded, tears threatening again. “More than okay.” When she took his watch, Mart pulled her to him for a brief kiss. Denny was busy looking at the zamboni and asking the driver questions about it. If Paulie noticed, he didn’t react.

  She smiled as Mart pulled his helmet on and climbed into his sled. She moved his chair out of the way and watched while two of the arena employees helped him onto the ice.

  When all the players and the coach were on the ice, they closed the rink door. Kelly sat in Mart’s chair, Denny beside her, while Paulie perched on a seat in the stands nearby.

  Kelly remembered reading about sled hockey, saw a brief clip of it on the DVD they watched, but didn’t know anything about it. Instead of one long stick they used two short ones with metal picks on one end. They dug the picks into the ice to propel them and deftly flipped them around to slap the puck. They hit hard and moved fast, just like the NHL players. Kelly cringed when Mart went flying sideways after getting checked, but he quickly righted his sled and took off after the puck, eventually scoring the first goal of the scrimmage.

  During the break they opened the rink door. Denny got close to the ice while Mart took a bottle of water from one of the volunteers.

  “Wow, that was great! You guys are awesome,” Denny squealed, flapping.

  Some of the other players heard him and laughed. “You want to play?” one of them asked.

  Kelly blanched. The thought of her baby on the ice with the rough-hitting adults was nearly more than she could handle.

  “Yeah! Mom, can I?”

  “You don’t have equipment, honey.”

  Mart spoke up. “We’ve got a spare sled and sticks in the equipment room, and I have an extra helmet and gloves. They’ll be big on him, but at least he can get on the ice.”

  “I don’t know, Mart.”

  He laughed. “I don’t mean turn him loose with us while we play, hon. I meant while we’re on break, to try it out.”

  “Oh. Sure.”

  One of the volunteers brought the extra sled and sticks. Mart sent Paulie to the locker room for the extra helmet and gloves. They had the boy outfitted and on the ice in five min
utes. Mart stayed with him while he learned how to maneuver the sled. He wasn’t as fast as the adults, and he fell over several times before getting the hang of it. By the time the other players were ready to resume the scrimmage, Denny was exhausted and grinning ear to ear.

  “Mom, did you see me?” he squealed as two volunteers carried his sled off the ice and out of the way so the scrimmage could continue.

  “Yes, honey, I saw you.”

  “Can I play hockey?”

  Paulie helped his brother remove his helmet. “Of course you can, Squirt. I’m going to love shooting pucks at you.”

  Kelly spent the rest of the practice in a daze. Denny talked with the zamboni driver, who was preparing to resurface the ice after practice. Paulie watched from his perch in the stands. Kelly took the opportunity to speak with him.

  “You okay?”

  “What?”

  “About your dad. Do you want to talk about it?”

  He shook his head. “No. He sucks.”

  “Don’t talk about your father like that.”

  “Why not? It’s the truth. He doesn’t want to deal with Denny. All he wants to do is parade me around when he has the time so he can look good. If he was a good dad, he’d try to spend time with Denny. Like Mart does.”

  “Your dad does the best he can.”

  “Quit defending him, Mom. He’s a jerk, and you know it. He likes showing off at my games. Denny embarrasses him. Don’t think I don’t see it.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. I don’t want to talk about him. I’m having fun here with Mart.” He looked at her. “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “Paulie! That’s not something you ask.”

  “Why not?”

  She chose her words carefully. “Look, whatever happens, happens.”

  “Well, I like him. I hope you marry him.”

  This conversation wasn’t going the way she thought it would. “That’s not any of your business.”

  “Mom, it is my business. And Denny’s. We like him. He’s a great guy, and he really likes you and wants to spend time with all of us. He doesn’t try to leave me out of stuff like Dad does with Denny. Grandma really likes him, too.”

  Kelly fought a burst of anger. “Your grandmother has no right discussing this with you.”

  “Denny already told Grandma he hopes you marry Mart, because he doesn’t want a stepfather he doesn’t like.”